State lawmakers to address legalizing medical & recreational marijuana legislation in 2015

ATLANTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – State lawmakers part of a joint study committee met for the last time at the Capitol to talk about legalizing medical marijuana.

During five meetings, state leaders heard from residents, law enforcement, and the medical community about the pros and cons of legalizing cannabis oil.

At the final meeting on Wednesday, a Georgia doctor whose family moved to Colorado so their daughter can receive cannabis oil treatment testified. Dr. James Smith says his family is split up while his seven-year-old daughter Marlo is receiving Haleigh’s Hope, a cannabis oil. He says they have seen a major drop in her seizures since she started the treatment five months ago.

State Representative Allen Peake pre-filed House Bill 1 “Haleigh’s Hope Act” on November 17. Peake’s plan is to legalize a cannabis oil that would be high in CBD, a medicinal property of the plant, and low in THC, so the patient cannot get high.

Peake hopes to bring Georgia families who left the state seeking treatment back home. He adds it is important to craft a piece of legislation that is safe, timely, and effective.

“It’s going to be safe, it’s going to be regulated, it’s going to be tightly restrictive, it’s going to be limited, and it’s going to answer a lot of the critics who say we’re heading down a slippery slope of providing recreational use of marijuana to our citizens,” Peake said.

Peake says he would fight against any legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana use.

On November 24, State Senator Curt Thompson pre-filed his own medical marijuana bill. Senate Bill 7 would also be heavily regulated, but it would legalize all types of medical marijuana, such as smoking or edible forms. It would not just limit the treatment to an oil form only, like in Peake’s bill.

Thompson says this gives doctors more options when it come to treating patients who have serious medical conditions.

“It allows for patients with these serious diseases to get access to this in a format that is traditionally used for treating whatever illness they have and not just a format that’s used for treating one illness and even if they don’t have that illness they get to try this,” Thompson said. “[If] it it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work.”

Both Thompson and Peake agree, they want to come up with the best legislation possible that will help Georgians get access to safe and legal medical marijuana.

Thompson also pre-filed a resolution that would let Georgia voters decide if they want to legalize recreational marijuana.

According to Senate Resolution 6, adults 21 or older would be allowed to buy limited amounts of marijuana for personal use. The taxes made off of the sales would go toward education and transportation infrastructure. Thompson says this is a way to create revenue without raising taxes.

Peake hopes to fully introduce the cannabis oil bill within the next week or two.

The 2015 legislative session begins on Monday, January 12th.